Meeting the Queen Bee

"Haha, alright, let's go."

Xiao Zhe and Xu Hua took the lead and charged into the thick fog outside the playground. As soon as the group of twenty to thirty people entered the fog, it retreated. 

After exiting the playground gate, they turned left towards the campus living area and teaching buildings. Turning right led to a main road going up the mountain. 

About 50 meters from the playground was the school library, located on a small hill that was part of Jade Cloud Mountain's foothills. The main road to Jade Cloud Mountain was not here.

Xiao Zhe led the team towards the library.

"Didn't they say they were going to Jade Cloud Mountain? Why are they going to the library?" Chen Fei muttered.

Yang Xiao thought for a moment. "Is Jade Cloud Mountain that easy to pass through? Now, as long as we can hunt mutated creatures around the school and get genetic fragments, it doesn't matter where."

Chen Lu nodded. "The library is surrounded by woods. There are all kinds of insects, ants, birds, and beasts. Everyone be careful."

Just then, Xiao Zhe and the others up front roared as they began fighting some mutated creature.

Peering into the distance, Yang Xiao saw that Xiao Zhe's team had five to six people who could cast fireballs, ice balls, and lightning. Their attack range was over 3 meters, on par with Chen Fei and Chen Lu now.

"They're all magicians!" Yang Xiao thought.

Going over for a look, he saw they had flattened a basketball-sized mutated frog. 

"Such a big frog, it'd only be delicious in a dry hot pot with lots of chilies," Yang Xiao remarked.

Xu Hua was taken aback. "Yang Xiao, all you think about is eating. Do you have chili?"

"Of course I have chili. If I give you a spoonful, will you give me half the frog meat?"

"You wish. How could I give you such good mutated frog meat? Go fight your own." 

Xiao Zhe had his men take away the corpse, then continued forward with the team.

Along the way, Xiao Zhe's group surrounded and killed various small mutated creatures on the main road. Yang Xiao's party followed behind, unable to find much of anything to scavenge, let alone anything valuable.

Passing a forked path, Chen Fei said, "Boss, this path leads to the academy's swimming pool. There are small woods on both sides, so there should be mutated creatures, but not too many. It'd be just right for us to fight."

"Okay, let's take this path."

The five of them entered the small road. After just 5-6 meters, they heard a buzzing sound as dozens of hornets flew over. The head hornet was enormous and golden.

"F*ck, we're so lucky. Let's fight!" Yang Xiao held his black sword and leaped over 3 meters high, slashing at the golden leader. Dai Yun transformed her hands into wolf claws and pounced to attack.

Chen Fei's lightning, Chen Lu's ice balls, and Chubby's longhair unleashed their attacks together.

Yang Xiao's sword missed the golden hornet. It dodged his strike in a flash. With a flap of its wings, it spat out a ball of green liquid at Yang Xiao. 

Yang Xiao quickly sidestepped. The liquid sprayed the grass, which immediately started sizzling and gave off green smoke. The blades withered in seconds, corroded away.

Seeing this, Chubby shouted, "Boss, be careful! That hornet can spray toxic venom!"

Yang Xiao was focused on the golden hornet, his sword constantly changing angles trying to strike it. The golden hornet knew it couldn't contend directly with Yang Xiao, so it kept dodging left and right, waiting to counterattack. 

Yang Xiao saw it had a 20 cm long black needle on its tail, as thick as a chopstick. Getting pricked by that would surely be fatal.

He attacked relentlessly, not letting the golden bee catch its breath for a second. "I'll handle the Queen Bee! Hurry and deal with the small ones, then come help me!" he shouted.

Hearing this, Dai Yun and the others sped up their assault. 

With her mutated hands and legs, Dai Yun could easily leap over 4-5 meters high now. Her ferocious might made her an excellent meat shield.

With her drawing the bees, Chen Fei, Chen Lu, and Chubby could easily cast their attacks.

After a few minutes, the mutant bees were dead, dropping 3 genetic fragments. 

Seeing the situation go south, the Golden Queen Bee spat a mouthful of green venom at Yang Xiao. Taking advantage of his dodge, it flew off into the fog and escaped.

Eager to give chase, Yang Xiao was held back by Dai Yun. "Boss, don't be reckless. All kinds of mutants lurk in the fog. We can only advance step-by-step."

Yang Xiao took a deep breath to calm himself. He wrapped an arm around Dai Yun's shoulder, then slapped her butt. "You're right, I was too hasty."

Yang Xiao had been treating Dai Yun as a comrade in arms, forgetting she was a girl. 

Dai Yun's face went red when he smacked her butt. 

Seeing this, Chen Fei and the others laughed uncontrollably.

Yang Xiao quickly said, "Sorry, I forgot you were girls."

This immediately drew the girls' ire. 

Chen Fei thrust out her chest, accentuating her ample bosom. "What, so ugly and unfeminine in Boss's eyes?"

Yang Xiao smiled awkwardly and explained, "No, no, just got caught up in the fight and forgot for a moment."

Truthfully, other than Chubby being fatter and less attractive, Chen Fei's group wasn't ugly per se - just ordinary compared to campus belles like Qin Yu.

Seeing their indignant looks, Yang Xiao hastily added, "Actually, you're all very beautiful women with great figures."

Pfft! The girls laughed and muttered "hypocrite" before letting him off. 

Yang Xiao thought, "These chicks have mutated and grown capable now, daring to talk back to me."

Continuing on, after a few meters they suddenly heard a swoosh, like something flying over. 

Thanks to their post-mutation senses, especially Yang Xiao's, he immediately raised his black sword to block. He felt it catch on something. When he looked closely, the black blade was entwined with a white thread.

Shocked, Yang Xiao pulled hard. He felt strong resistance, like tugging a fishing line. With another heave, he felt something slowly dragged out from the fog.

"Everyone, pay attention!" Yang Xiao called gruffly, continuing to pull his sword back. Soon, a black washbasin-sized thing with several furry long legs emerged from the fog.

Being girls, Chen Fei and the others couldn't help but tense up at the sight of this sudden monster, momentarily stunned.

Yang Xiao quickly shouted, "What are you waiting for? Don't even recognize a spider? Attack!"